Buy your Pagosa Perks raffles tickets this week

The prize winners will get $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third. The drawing will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m. at the SunDowner at The Springs Resort and Spa.

What are Pagosa Perks and why should I purchase raffle tickets?

Pagosa Perks are local shopping dollars. This in itself is very important, since it helps keep your shopping dollars local. Pagosa Perks spend just like cash and come in the form of a type of cashier check. The funds are guaranteed and you can spend them all over town. Imagine winning and using the Perks for groceries, paying some of your utility bills, tuning up your car for winter or buying new tires, treating the family to a gift you have wanted for a long time. And the beauty, once again, is that your dollars stay local and circulate in town.

Your chances of winning the Pagosa Perks Raffle is a lot better than the 175 million:1 odds for the Power Ball, with more like 500:1 odds.

Tickets are only $5 each or five tickets for $20. Three people have to win the raffle — why not let it be you. Last year Jeff Laydon, Lou Jean Espinosa and Bill Kinsley were winners.

As they say, “You can’t win if you don’t play.”

Tickets are available at the Chamber of Commerce or from Chamber board or staff members. Purchase some tickets, be a potential winner and feel good about keeping your spending dollars local and helping out our local businesses. You do not need to be present to win the raffle.

Election ongoing

As was mentioned last week, voting for new members on the Chamber Board of Directors is now in full swing.

For the first time, Chamber members can vote for candidates any time of the day or night, from the comfort of their homes or offices. You can view the candidates’ bios and photos online and take your time deciding. However, once you vote, that’s it — on Elections Online, you will be able to vote once. The Chamber office will also have a record that you voted — not how you voted — so duplication is not possible. This restriction is due to the bylaw regulation that only one ballot per membership is allowed. If you have more than one business with the Chamber, you can cast a ballot for each business; however, each business must have a unique user name and password. If you are experiencing difficulty, or are not computer savvy, stop by the Chamber and we will assist you just as in the paper ballot days of old.

Voting continues online until 5 p.m. Jan. 18. You will still be able to vote in person at the annual meeting on Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.

This year’s board candidates include Nick Tallent, financial advisor with Edward Jones; Keil Steck, manager of the San Juan Motel; Jerry Smith, consultant, owner and president of Pagosa Verde; Paul Gomes, branch manager at Wells Fargo Bank; Nancy Gilbert, owner of Elk Meadows River Resort; and Flynn Fierro, manager of Old Town Market.

Chamber members can cast a ballot for three of the six candidates. The winning candidates will serve three-year terms. Please read the candidate bios; they are filled with information about the candidates, their talents and the skills they can bring to the Chamber board to better represent your businesses. Their bios are also located in hard copy at the Chamber and were included in the most recent newsletter. Staying on the chamber board will be Todd Stevens, Aurora Wright, Kimberley Bradshaw, Stacy Boone, Chris Smith and Pam Barsanti.

If you do not have your log-in information or need help, please contact one of the staff members so they can assist you. Thank you for your time in this process and for getting involved.

Information, please

It is that time of year when Pagosa fills up with visitors to our community. Snow is forthcoming and we will be getting visitors for the Christmas holidays. We are already getting a steady flow of calls requesting lodging information. If you own or manage a lodging entity, please contact the Chamber of Commerce with your availability.

With Christmas falling on a Tuesday, we fully expect the week between Christmas and New Year to be very busy. While we are encouraging people to utilize the new “Book Direct” system on the visitpagosasprings website, people are still looking for assistance and availability.

Your information also aids our Visitor Center volunteers when people drop in to Pagosa or are looking for accommodations at the last minute.

We also acquired information at Thanksgiving on restaurant openings and closures for the holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day. If any of this information has changed, or if you have added or changed anything, please contact Patricia in our office.

If you are having a New Year’s event or a special celebration at your restaurant or bar, please let us know so we can include this information on our weekly Events and Live Music sheet that goes out to lodging properties and interested businesses, and is also posted on the Chamber’s website weekly, along with hard copies at both Visitor Centers.

One last request is for the churches in our community to respond back to us with information about holiday church services. We post this information on our website and provide handouts for people at both Visitor Centers. You will be receiving e-mails and/or phone calls from our office. Please respond, so we have the latest and greatest information for our visitors and residents in order for them to celebrate the season.

Holiday lights

On Saturday, Dec. 22, there will be a first-ever tree lighting event at the Spa Trailhead on Reservoir Hill hosted by the Friends of Reservoir Hill. Three trees located at the trailhead will be lit for the season. There will also be caroling by the Pagosa Springs Community Choir, hot chocolate and cider, cookies, Santa and lots of community spirit. The festivities will take place beginning at 4:30 p.m., with lighting happening after 5. Attendees can park at the trailhead or, if there’s too much snow, park at the Mary Fisher parking area and walk up the hill. Bundle up, bring the family and enjoy what we hope will become an annual tradition.

Membership

We have two new members to welcome to the Chamber membership fold this week.

Green Pest Solution with Cadence and Green become members. Green Pest Solution offers services for commercial and residential structures including restaurants and motels. Along with simple pest treatments, they specialize in more complex jobs such as bat mitigation, bed bugs and wood-destroying pests. They value the environment and are as protective of wildlife as possible. To schedule an appointment call 799-0802 or visit their website at www.greenpestsolution.com.

Mercy Regional Medical Center is also a new member this week. Mercy Medical Center is Southwest Colorado’s largest and most technologically advanced health care facility. They have a Level III trauma center and more than 150 board certified physicians representing over 44 specialties and subspecialties. Mercy is part of Centura Health, the largest care network in Colorado. You can find out more information about their facilities online at www.mercydurango.org. We welcome both of these industries to our chamber membership.

Our renewals are plentiful this week as well. They include Alley House Grille, The Buck Stops Here, Citizens Bank, Nationwide Payment Solutions, Next Door Decor, The Antler Shed and Riverside Health Practices.

We continue to be grateful for all the new members and renewals. If you have not attended a Maximizing Your Membership class with Jan at the Chamber office, plan to do so and get an even bigger bang for your membership buck. The next class will be held Monday, Dec. 17, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Lunch is included at this free session.